Sexual Assault in the Military
Kyle B. Kennedy
CHFD220 D020 Sum 12
American Military University
Dr. Linda Marsh
The hypothesis of this article is to examine rape and sexual harassment in the U.S. military. Koss stated the original book written by Nelson has its heart in the right place, yet it has flaws so serious that they undermine the validity of the conclusions (Koss p.1) Koss states in 2004, when her article was published, approximately 16 percent of the military is made up of females. Upon entering the military both men an woman go through basic training and advanced training to become proficient in their jobs. On multiple occasions military personnel are given briefs an many things, to include sexual harassment, sexual assault, and equal opportunity. During these briefings cover what could happen if you were captured as a prisoner of war (POW), what is trending in the military pertaining to sexual assaults, and what options each individual has if something happens or has happened to them. Koss embellishes military members are brief if you crash or are captured behind enemy lines, rape and torture are possible events which could happen to them (Koss p.1). The original book by Nelson conducted a five year study on 200 women who were raped or sexually assaulted while on active duty in the military (Koss p.2). Nelson failed to include multiple factors into his study to include: civilian women assaulted by military men, spouses/partners of active duty men, and non-victimized military women who would have opinions on what happens in the military (Koss p.2). Nelson reported a 1996 Department of Defense (DoD) survey stated 55 percent of woman and 14 percent of men reported unwanted, uninvited sexual attention of behavior from others(Koss p.2). Nelson compared this survey with a 1988 survey and reported the rates of sexual assault are decreasing. As a military member myself who works in the Criminal...